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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. cap — of ice
  3. swing — to play on
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. tear — from crying
  6. swing — in golf
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. craft — boats
  9. swing — music
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. row — to paddle
  12. tear — to rip
  13. cap — a lid
  14. cap — a hat
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. row — a line
  17. craft — a skill
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. rule — government
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. date — the fruit
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. rule — a law
  24. arm — part of the body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com